Sorority Noise

Remo Drive, Jelani Sei

Sorority Noise

SORORITY NOISE write important songs. They go to uncomfortable places, unafraid to let the darkness in – but they’re also not shy at kicking back until the sorrow subsides. They’re songs of confusion, anger, life, death, mental health and, most importantly, hope. They’re what it means to be human.

That vulnerability has been Sorority Noise’s hallmark since they formed in 2013, but it’s never been as precise as it is on YOU’RE NOT AS ___ AS YOU THINK, their third album, set for release March 17th via Triple Crown Records. The album follows the Connecticut-based quartet’s IT KINDLY STOPPED FOR ME 7” (2016), critically acclaimed JOY, DEPARTED (2015) and debut FORGETTABLE (2014) and is the most collaborative, fully realized version of Sorority Noise to date.

Sorority Noise recorded You’re Not As ___ As You Think with producer Mike Sapone (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday) over the span of 10 days – three times longer than it took to track Joy, Departed – and this increased time allowed the band to hone the songwriting and visceral performances that have launched them onto tours with Modern Baseball, Citizen, Turnover and The Menzingers and into outlets like Pitchfork, Consequence of Sound, The Fader, Spin, AV Club and Stereogum.

Singer/guitarist Cameron Boucher, who prefers not to edit or overthink his lyrics, empties both his pen and soul on songs like “No Halo,” “Disappeared” and “A Portrait Of,” stark vignettes that find him coming to terms with the death of close friends. He’s had days, weeks and months to confront these and other emotions, and when it came time to write about them, the words spilled out.

So what you’re getting is an emotional bulldozer – an unfiltered, inward look at the last year of the band’s life that’s filled with intimate, visceral details yet remains universally relatable. But even amidst heavy subject matter, Sorority Noise want to give you a sense of resilience. “No matter what I feel, it’s going to be OK,” Boucher says. “Things are going to be tough, but it’s going to be fine in the end – and you have to keep going because you just have to. This is how it’s going to be. You’ve just got to do it.”

It’s in this way that the album’s title comes into view, and it only takes inserting a few adjectives – sad, happy, rich, poor – to realize life is all about perspective. Hardships are inevitable, but so is hope. Rather than living in the shadows, Sorority Noise have learned the only way to move past the struggle is by never stopping moving forward into the sun.

Remo Drive

Epitaph Records is pleased to announce the signing of Minnesota emo band Remo Drive. The label has also reissued Remo Drive’s full-length debut Greatest Hits. Originally self-released in 2017, the long-sold-out album is now available to purchase on CD and vinyl (with shipping starting next week). Purchase Greatest Hits by Remo Drive here.

On March 9, Remo Drive will make their Epitaph debut with an EP titled Pop Music.

Remo Drive consists of brothers Erik (age 20) and Stephen Paulson (age 22), who formed the band in high school in 2013. Initially inspired by “older kids who smoked weed and listened to Title Fight,” the duo soon introduced elements of ’90s grunge and classic rock to create their own dynamic and deeply catchy sound.

“It’s always going to be about loud guitars and big drums,” Erik says. “The best thing for us to do is not worry so much about aesthetic and focus on whatever feels natural with the overarching idea of being a rock ’n’ roll band.”

Like Greatest Hits, Pop Music delivers lyrics with an unadulterated honesty. In addition to digital sales, the EP will be available as a seven-inch on Remo Drive’s upcoming tour and in the band’s web store beginning March 9.

Jelani Sei

One of the few bands in the northeast that can lull you with ethereal soundscapes while simultaneously sending you into a a crazy mosh, Jelani Sei is a group of individuals who are constantly searching the realms of harmony to find that new groove.

Having roots in Evan Lawrence’s basement, Jelani Sei has evolved into a full lineup that includes Kayana Guity on vocals, Samuel Smith on guitar, Scott White on guitar and Enayi Tamakloe on drums. The completion of the lineup has allowed the band to reach a point of musical clarity they wouldn’t have been able to find on their own. From playing all around New England, into New York City and Philadelphia, they have developed their own sound, self dubbing it as “Progressive R&B.”

In 2017, Jelani Sei recently released, “LVNDR TWN” a six track encapsulation of their musical growth from their previous releases, as well as a conversation of the current state of the world. Jelani Sei represents not only unity, but love, passion and a drive to push oneself beyond limits they didn’t think they were capable of.